What SCAFA does

SCAFA (School of Culinary and Finishing Arts), operating as SCAFA Cooking School, is a Dubai-headquartered private culinary institute providing vocational culinary and pastry education alongside amateur classes and restaurant menu development consulting. The school operates three campuses — Dubai (primary, at Jumeirah Lake Towers), Lahore, and additional locations — supported by 8 in-house chef instructors and serving a cumulative base of 2,000+ graduates.

The core product set is split between professional diploma programs and amateur offerings. Professional diplomas — Pro Accelerator (8 weeks, Level 2, AED 20,055), Pro Kitchen (20 weeks, Level 3 Advanced Diploma, AED 46,830), Pro Pastry (13 weeks, AED 33,600), Pro Weekend (17 Saturdays, AED 16,800), and Pro Weekend Pastry (24 weekends, AED 19,950) — are accredited by City & Guilds (UK) and attested by Dubai's KHDA, with optional Education Visa and student accommodation add-ons. Amateur programs include Fundamentals of Cuisine and Pastry, Mini MasterChef (ages 7–14), and a tiered Summer Camp (ages 7–14). Complementary services comprise three-tier Team Building events (10–200 people) and Menu Development & Consultation, with over 50 restaurant concepts delivered across UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran.

The business model is sales-led with direct enrollment via website, WhatsApp, phone, and email, supplemented by event-based brand building (Pro Chef & Hospitality Awards, Young Chef Olympiad) and a graduate-placement ecosystem spanning HOSCO (global hospitality network with 6,000+ employers in 100+ countries), BHMS, Robert Gordon University, and Culinary Internships France. Content channels include the 13-episode Chef's Dream podcast and the Food Vogue educational blog. The company is founder/management-owned under CEO Zaigham Haque, with no disclosed external venture or private equity investment.

Name

SCAFA

Legal name

SCAFA Cooking School

Website

https://scafa.ae

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SCAFA is a Dubai-headquartered private culinary institute operating three campuses that delivers City & Guilds and KHDA-accredited professional diploma programs (Pro Accelerator, Pro Kitchen, Pro Pastry, weekend variants), amateur classes, kids' summer camps, team-building events, and menu development consulting for restaurants across the GCC and South Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Culinary Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (61151), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Baking & Pastry Classes (THAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• Culinary education
• Vocational training
• Pastry programs
• Menu consulting
• Corporate team building

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Diploma Programs: Revenue from intensive culinary diploma programs including Pro Accelerator (8 weeks), Pro Kitchen (20 weeks), Pro Pastry (13 weeks), and weekend programs leading to City & Guilds Level 2/3 diplomas.
2. Summer Camp Programs: Revenue from kids culinary summer camp programs for ages 7-14, offered in weekly packages during July and August.
3. Team Building Activities: Corporate team-building events including Kitchen Party (10-20 people), Kitchen Challenge (10-60 people), and Kitchen Extravaganza (30-200 people).
4. Menu Development & Consultation: Menu development and consulting services for restaurant businesses. Over 50 concepts developed across UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran over 7 years.
5. Amateur Programs: Fundamentals of Cuisine and Pastry classes, Mini MasterChef programs for children.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SCAFA is a Dubai-based culinary school that delivers hands-on professional culinary and pastry diploma programs (City & Guilds Level 2 and Level 3 accredited) along with amateur cooking classes, kids' programs, and corporate team-building cooking events. The institute additionally provides fee-based restaurant menu development and culinary consultation services to hospitality clients across the GCC and South Asia.

Product overview

SCAFA (School of Culinary and Finishing Arts) is a Dubai-based culinary institute offering a portfolio of professional diploma programs and amateur courses. Professional programs include Pro Accelerator (8-week Level 2 diploma), Pro Kitchen (20-week Level 3 Advanced Diploma), Pro Pastry (13-week Level 2 diploma), Pro Weekend, and Pro Weekend Pastry - all delivered 5 days/week or on weekends with City & Guilds and KHDA certification. Amateur offerings include Fundamentals of Cuisine, Fundamentals of Pastry, Mini MasterChef (kids 7-14), and Summer Camp programs. Additional services include Team Building Activities, Menu Development & Consultation, and the Chef's Dream Podcast. Programs are designed to take students from foundational skills to professional kitchen readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pro Accelerator Level 2 Diploma in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts – an 8-week intensive full-time program covering food safety, knife techniques, butchery, hot and cold kitchens, and pastry arts for aspiring professional chefs.
• Pro Kitchen Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts and Supervision – a 20-week professional culinary program covering food safety, knife skills, butchery, hot and cold kitchen, pastry, and supervisory skills for career advancement.
• Pro Pastry Level 2 Diploma in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts – Patisserie – a 13-week full-time program (400+ hours) covering bakery, pastry, cakes, desserts, chocolate, and sugar work across five teaching modules.
• Pro Weekend Level 2 Diploma in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts – Cookery delivered over 17 consecutive Saturdays (34 classes, 130 hours), designed for working professionals unable to commit to full-time weekday education.
• Pro Weekend Pastry Level 2 Diploma in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts – Patisserie delivered over 24 weekends, covering doughs and breads, tarts and chocolate, cakes, and desserts modules with assessment phase.
• Fundamentals of Cuisine Amateur culinary program consisting of 10 technique-based classes covering French, Italian, Japanese, Pakistani/Indian, Mexican, Thai cuisines, knife skills, poultry, red meat, and fish/shellfish preparation.
• Fundamentals of Pastry Amateur pastry program held on Wednesdays from 6pm–9pm, covering bread-making, desserts, chocolate work, savory bakes, and macarons over 10 distinct classes, with optional KHDA-attested certificate.
• Mini MasterChef Program Culinary program for children ages 7-14 consisting of 8 classes teaching breakfast preparation, pizza making, international cuisines (Latin, Italian, American), and baking and decorating skills.
• Summer Camp Cooking camp for kids aged 7-14 held July 13-31 and August 3-21, 2026 (Mon-Fri, 2:30-5:30 PM), covering knife skills, world cuisines, baking, and pastry fundamentals.
• Team Building Activity Corporate and private team-building cooking events offered in three formats: Kitchen Party (10-20 people), Kitchen Challenge (10-60 people), and Kitchen Extravaganza (30-200 people).
• Menu Development & Consultation Professional menu development service helping restaurants and hospitality clients create on-trend menus tailored to brand story and kitchen niche, with over 50 concepts developed across UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran over 7 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000+ graduates placed in the hospitality industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy: At-Sunrice in Singapore delivers professional culinary diplomas with a similar multi-stream model (professional plus amateur plus corporate) targeting Asian and international students, making it a structurally comparable school in a different primary geography.
• Gulf Academy of Technical Studies (GATS): GATS is a UAE-based vocational training provider offering culinary and hospitality programs to a similar career-focused student demographic, primarily competing in the GCC market with a similar vocational credential model.
• Cordon D'Or Culinary Academy (Saudi Arabia): Cordon D'Or is a Saudi-based culinary training provider with comparable vocational diploma programs. While operating in a neighboring GCC country, it competes for the same regional student pool and shares SCAFA's professional-amateur mix.

Others

• BHMS (Business & Hotel Management School): BHMS is a Swiss hospitality management school already partnered with SCAFA for graduate pathways. While not a direct culinary competitor, it is comparable as a hospitality education provider feeding the same HOSCO job placement network.
• Robert Gordon University (RGU): RGU is a UK university with hospitality and culinary programs that is already a SCAFA academic pathway partner. Comparable as a credential-granting institution that overlaps in student placement outcomes and global brand reach.

Broad incumbents

• Culinary Institute of America (CIA): CIA is the largest US-based culinary education brand offering professional degrees, continuing education and industry credentials, comparable to SCAFA's Pro Kitchen Level 3 diploma but with broader curriculum scope and stronger brand recognition globally.

Emerging players

• Culinary Academy of India (CAI): CAI offers intensive professional culinary and pastry programs aimed at South Asian and international students, sharing a similar professional-diploma-plus-amateur offering and overlapping student demographics across the GCC and South Asia.

Direct peers

• Le Cordon Bleu Dubai: Le Cordon Bleu operates a Dubai campus delivering professional culinary and pastry diplomas with international brand recognition, directly competing with SCAFA's Pro Kitchen and Pro Pastry programs for the same premium-tier student audience.
• International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai: ICCA Dubai is a direct competitor offering City & Guilds-accredited professional culinary and pastry diploma programs in the UAE, targeting the same career-focused student segment with comparable pricing and certification structure.
• HRC Academy Dubai: HRC Academy offers vocational culinary and hospitality diplomas in Dubai with similar City & Guilds-aligned curriculum, competing for the same aspiring chef cohort with comparable program durations and certification outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@scafa.official
• Facebookfacebook.com/scafa.dubai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scafa
• Instagraminstagram.com/scafa.dubai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SCAFA